by Multiple
“No claws.” The taciturn order in the words sent the wolf’s hackles up and Cody dug his fingers into his palm.
Control.
“No knives or guns.” Cody replied in kind.
“Fists.”
“Fists.”
Settled on the terms of the fight, Cody gave into the wolf’s urge to circle. Sam pivoted, holding his ground with a casual sense of calm that the wolf found infuriating. It hazed over Cody’s vision and he shook his head once, he needed the wolf to calm down. Sam wouldn’t go down easy. He’d shown no fear that first night in town. He’d shown even less when they’d clashed on the mountain.
“What do you want with Scarlett?” Cody spit the words out, the man needed to know. The wolf snarled, scratching against his skin and aching for release. Sam’s heart beat a measured rhythm, neither speeding up nor slowing down. His scent was rich with confidence, lacking the stink of fear.
What the hell did it take to rattle the man?
Sam rocked back on his heels. His tense expression relaxed into one more circumspect. The wolf paused in its prowl and Cody waited. He’d looked after Scarlett for as long as he could remember. She was dearer to him than his own heart. No man was going to be allowed to use her or abuse her. Cody would kill them first.
“That depends.”
That was not the answer Cody wanted to hear. “On what?”
“On Scarlett.”
Cody stopped and cocked his head to the side. The wolf peered through his eyes, studying the marshal. The unexpected direction of the answer left it flummoxed and brushed aside the quiet fury fogging his mind.
“What about her?”
Sam shrugged. “My intentions depend on what she wants. Or should I say, who she wants?”
The wolf growled. Scarlett was his and Cody agreed, to a point. But kissing her had been a mistake. He’d scared her. Worse, he’d hurt her. The fear in her eyes was bad enough, but the wash of tears made him want to chew his own arm off. Quanto’s disapproval hung heavy on his soul, as did Wyatt’s blunt warning. But, it changed nothing. Scarlett was his to protect.
The wolf agreed.
“Scarlett knows nothing about men or their desires or the world for that matter.” It was a hard truth, but Cody accepted it. They’d sheltered and protected her for just this reason.
“And whose fault is that?” The accusation rebounded off Cody. The wolf didn’t care, but the man experienced the slap. “You’ve all locked her away, kept her on a mountain, away from people, hell, away from other womenfolk. How is she supposed to learn there?”
“Oh and I suppose you think you’re the one to teach her.” The image of Sam holding Scarlett’s hands and the way Scarlett leaned into him flagged across his vision. The wolf crouched, waiting.
The marshal was a predator.
Scarlett was pack.
“I think I care. I think I care a hell of a lot about what she wants.” The measured words were a one-two punch to Cody’s guts. His implication clear. Sam believed that Cody didn’t give a damn about Scarlett. The wolf trembled under Cody’s skin, fur threatening.
“And she deserves a chance to know the world…”
“You don’t know a damn thing about her.” The shout erupted like a howl. “You don’t know a damn thing about her gifts or what others would do to her. Hell, you wanted to hang her.”
“I never wanted to hang her. My issues were with her robbing a bank, not her fire. Never her fire. She wouldn’t have been in that position if you group of hardheads had a thought between you for the consequences to your actions. I’m not the threat here, Cody. You are.”
The wolf screaming in his ears, Cody lunged. His fist glanced off the marshal’s jaw.
Sam pivoted, seizing Cody’s leading arm, turning Cody's weight and motion against him. Cody landed in the brush. Scrub tore at his flesh, but he was already rebounding, launching at the marshal.
The meaty sound of fists slamming into flesh filled the night. Cody tasted blood in his mouth, smelled Sam’s blood in the air. Sam’s fists crashed against his face and twice more into his stomach, sending the air whooshing out of him. Blood and sweat stung the corner of his eye as they grappled.
Three more times he hit the dirt, twice Sam did. Cody could barely see for the blood flowing as he tackled the taller man. He wrapped his arms around him, squeezing the air out of the marshal.
The hard edges of Sam’s hands crashed against Cody’s skull, boxing his ears and sending slivers of pain driving into his brain. He dropped away, but struck out with a fist catching the marshal full in the groin. The man yelped.
The sound pleased the wolf, but the knee to the side of his head didn’t. When he hit the dirt this time, he kicked out, sweeping the marshal’s legs out from underneath him enjoying the satisfying thud he made.
Panting, he cracked open a swollen eye and saw the pain twisting the marshal’s face. He bared his teeth.
“Had enough?”
“No. You?”
“Let me catch my breath.”
“Deal.” The marshal wheezed the word around a bark of laughter, the scent of blood and sweat a heavy tang against the lingering scents of sun and scrub in the sand.
The wolf shook, shedding rage like droplets of water. A chuckle broke loose inside of him and Cody reached up to test the cut on his lip. A tooth was loose and his right eye was swollen closed. “You have a wicked right hook, Marshal.”
Sam grunted a laugh. “Feels like I was punching a brick wall.”
“It’s your own damn fault. You said I was hard headed.”
The marshal sat up carefully, his face a mass of reddened flesh and bloody cuts. The wolf settled, pleased with the bloody results. Cody groaned and rolled over, lurching to his feet.
“Do you love her?”
If the question surprised the Sam, he didn’t show it. It took a little longer to make it to his feet and the hitch in his walk pleased Cody even more than the wolf.
“I don’t know.” The bold, blunt honesty eased Cody’s apprehension. “But I sure as hell want to find out.”
“She deserves the best.”
“I agree.”
Cody leaned to the side and spat out a mouthful of blood. The wolf was curling around itself, its need to maim sated.
“Do you think you’re the best thing for her?”
“I don’t know that either, Cody. I know I care. I know I want to protect her. I know I want to find out. The rest, that’s up to her. But you’re not going to scare me off or drive me away. She doesn’t want you.” The marshal really didn’t pull his punches. Cody rubbed his ribs, the ache in his heart the deepest bruise of all.
“And if she decides she doesn’t want you?” The wolf lifted its head, peering through Cody’s eyes, as intent on the marshal’s response as he was.
“Then I’ll have to let her go.”
Understanding passed through Cody. The marshal wanted Scarlett to want him. The same way the wolf did. They both wanted her company. They wanted to shelter and protect her. They wanted her love.
“Then it’s her choice.” The wolf snapped its teeth at Cody’s response, but he ignored it. The wolf wanted to claim Scarlett. But she wasn’t his for the claiming. Cody would protect her from the wolf as readily from Sam. The mournful howl in his soul echoed in his ears, but Cody stood firm and offered the marshal his hand.
“Then you’ll stay out of it?” Sam asked, clasping the offered hand.
Cody grinned. “I didn’t say that. What kind of a brother would I be if I didn’t make you work for it?”
The marshal laughed, a good humor that came straight up from the belly. “I expect that she has plenty of brothers to look after her.”
Cody’s grin was positively wolfish. “And you would do well to remember that.”
“You ladies kissed and made up yet?” Jimmy’s dry voice cut between them. “We’re hungry and Scarlett’s getting pissy.”
Laug
hing, Cody clapped a hand to Sam’s shoulder, taking a small amount of vicious pleasure in the way the marshal winced. He’d landed more than his own fair share of damage.
“We understand each other.”
The three returned to camp and Cody ignored the scathing looks Scarlett favored them both with. They’d washed up at the watering hole before coming back, but even without the blood, the bruises and cuts were a testament to their fight.
Still, once the food was passed around and the conversation resumed around the fire pit, he avoided looking at Scarlett when Sam took a seat next to her. The marshal ignored her questions, turning the subject to their plans for the next day and the route they would take.
The food tasted of ash and the water bitter. Jimmy perched on a rock next to him, his voice too low to carry. “You really okay?”
“We’re going to have to be, aren’t we?”
“Doesn’t mean we have to like it.”
Scarlett’s laughter drifted on the breeze. Cody watched the amusement play over her face as Sam entertained her with some story. He tried not to listen, the wolf having slumped into a pile of quiet misery.
“She really likes him.” Jimmy’s words shoved the knife deeper into his heart.
“I’m going to get some sleep.” Cody stood abruptly, ignoring the awkward silence that smothered the camaraderie around him. “Night.”
Scarlett stood, but Cody shook his head at her. They could talk tomorrow.
It would be better tomorrow.
The wolf made a mournful low sound, but Cody made himself walk away.
Kid sighed, rubbing a hand against his temples. Even a dozen yards away from the fire, watching the night landscape, he couldn’t get away from it. His heart was like a clenched fist in his chest, making every breath an effort. Pain stabbed into the back of his skull. The last week had been a wild ride with Sam’s fury slashing at him and now the journey back to Dorado populated by hard feelings, questions and mistrust.
The anger that simmered between Sam and Cody seemed to have abated, for now. But in its wake, there were more questions. The damn Indian kept haunting his dreams, demanding answers that Kid didn’t have. The strange collection of talents among Scarlett’s kin was easier to digest than the Indian’s curiosity.
He’d told the old man to leave him alone. He wasn’t like Scarlett or her brothers.
It was bad enough he didn’t always fit in with his own brothers, he didn’t need to be labeled a freak as well. Behind him, laughter rolled up to the night sky, the pressure in his chest easing along with his headache.
Kid sighed.
It was going to be a hell of a ride back to Dorado.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“You know, Miss Scarlett. You’d catch more flies with a little sugar than all that vinegar.” Micah’s droll announcement poured salt on Scarlett’s already irritated soul. They’d been on the trail for a week, rotating riders and drivers amongst the wagons. She’d joined him in the wagon after arguing with Sam that morning.
“What are you talking about?” She usually enjoyed Micah’s company, his easy smile and laughter were a welcome respite from Cody’s brooding and Sam’s caution.
“You. You’re scowling at the horizon like it’s done offended you something fierce. Now, since you can light it on fire if you’re of a mind, I’m thinking the horses and I would appreciate it if you’d stop glaring.”
Embarrassment reddened her face and Scarlett dropped her gaze down to her hands. She hated the wagons. She hated the way they rocked and bounced. She hated how slow they moved. She hated how numb her rear was on the bench.
And she hated it that Sam left her to the wagons to ride off with Cody and Jimmy for scouting. He’d told her no and ignored her when she’d practically begged.
But what was worse, was the way Jimmy and Cody backed away from the discussion. They’d not supported her entreaty one bit. To add insult to injury, Sam smacked her squarely on the rear and put her on the wagon when she started after them.
Her bottom still ached.
“What color is the sky, Miss Scarlett?” Micah interrupted her internal tirade.
“Blue.” She answered automatically, lifting her gaze upwards and scanning the skies over and around them. “Why?”
“No rain clouds in sight. Dry land, scrub brush, go up just like this,” Micah snapped his fingers.
Scarlett laughed, in spite of her temper and turned a sidelong look to Micah. “Don’t you mean you’re worried that it’s you who's going to go up just like that?”
“No, ma’am. I’m too pretty.” His cheeky grin earned another laugh and Scarlett relaxed, thumping her boots together on the wagon edge in front of them.
“It’s not fair.” She complained.
“No, ma’am. I’m sure it’s not.” Agreeable was named Micah. “But Sam is just looking after you and it’s safer here.”
“Safer. Safer. Safer. Everyone keeps trying to keep me safer. I did just fine on my own.” She folded her arms and huffed. “Besides, I want to let Dawn run, I want to ride. I’m so tired of this pace.”
“Well that plumb breaks my heart, Miss Scarlett.” Micah nudged her with a shoulder. “Seeing as I have you all to myself.”
Scarlett laughed. Micah really was a good companion. He was never serious and unlike her own brothers, he didn’t seem to avoid her when she was irritated. Twisting in the seat, she looked around the back of the wagon. She and Micah were riding at the front of the line, with most of the others falling back to ride alongside the other two wagons.
Traitors.
“My bottom hurts.” She knew it was childish, but it was true. She settled back on the bench, looking for a more comfortable spot. Not that there was much to be had on the hard wood.
“I expect it does.” Micah nodded to the dry, arid land surrounding them. Even the scrub grass had turned yellow in the heat. They were carrying water with them, but the riders were ranging out for more. Scarlett knew that this desert passage was the hardest part of the trip. They’d had to avoid any towns, particularly overburdened by the stolen gold. But she could have helped them look.
“Why does he have to be so mean all the time?” Guilt pricked her conscience. Sam wasn’t mean. In fact, over the last week, he’d been really nice to her. They’d talked about her favorite foods, her experiences with the horses and about her gift. He’d asked her what she could burn, how hard it was, how much concentration it took and more. It was fun to share what she could do and every night, when they were near a watering hole, they’d gone swimming. Most of her clothes had been washed or soaked through twice, and had to be hung inside the wagon to dry.
But she loved swimming.
At night, they’d sit at the fire, eating whatever they’d managed to catch and only twice surviving just on hard tack. Both mornings after, she’d woken to fresh fish. She still wasn’t sure how he’d managed that and there was never enough for her brothers, just her.
They teased her, but no one tried to snatch the food from her plate. Cody was still avoiding her, and had taken to sleeping in his wolf form. Sam kept his bedroll next to hers and twice she’d woken up curled up to his side, her head pillowed on his chest.
Heat warmed her face again. He never said anything about it, simply murmured a good morning and waited until she woke before he moved. A sigh pulled out of her and she unfolded and refolded her arms.
Sam had been gone for hours.
“My brother fancies you, Miss Scarlett.” The unexpected comment ripped her attention away from the horizon.
“What?”
“Oh, I figure it’s none of my business, but ma’am, someone needs to talk to you and my brother is pretty slow on the uptake.” Micah’s easy grin softened any sting in his words.
“Really?” Scarlett bit into her lip.
“Oh yeah. He’s Mister Cautious, look at all the angles, gather all the information and then make a decision. It makes for a good marshal
, but not courting, at least not to my way of thinking.”
“No.” Scarlett scowled, twisting on the bench and grabbing the rail to keep steady as the wagon bounced and bobbed up the unrutted trail. “The first part, about him fancying me.”
“Well, hell, pardon my language. Why do you think he came all this way?”
“Because I’m wanted for the bank robbery.”
Micah just stared at her.
“Isn’t it? He arrested me. He sent for the judge. Then I escaped.”
He sighed. “I’m not doing myself any favors here, Miss Scarlett. But I don’t think you’re that dense. We had the gold back, Sam could have made excuses to the Judge and even if they hadn’t worked, our Pa would have fixed it.”
“But then why didn’t he just say that?” A bubble of hope expanded in her chest.
“Have you seen your brothers?” Micah laughed.
Scarlett paused. Sam and Cody had gotten on well enough since the night they disappeared and came back bloody and bruised. Even though neither one would tell her what happened, the tension in the group had gone down considerably. Even Jimmy, her wariest brother outside of Wyatt, had taken a shine to the Kanes.
“But they all like Sam.”
“Well enough, I expect they do. They’re a hard lot, but decent as folks go and they’ve accepted us.”
“You accepted us, too.” Scarlett felt the urge to point out. “You don’t treat us like freaks and our gifts don’t seem to bother you.”
“No, not as much, I reckon. It’s still a bit of a start when Cody wolfs it up or Buck decides to prowl around my dreams like they’re his own personal patch of land and frankly when Rudy just sticks his head in the side of the wagon and it gets all shimmery,” Micah shuddered. “Well, let’s just say I don’t know how you let him take you through that wall.”
Scarlett laughed. “It tickles.”
“What does?”
“Going through walls. It’s hard on Rudy, to take anyone with him, but it tickles. You get this fluttery feeling in your belly and it races through your blood and then the world just goes sideways and it makes you laugh.”
Micah looked skeptical, but shrugged nonetheless. “I’ll just take your word for it.”
